blessedness.”^163 The dynamic interaction between Word and Spirit is a familiar
refrain in Bavinck.^164 Further, and more significantly one perceives from Bavinck’s
emphasis upon the internal operation of the Holy Spirit and the “testimony of the
Holy Spirit”^165 that if a healthy balance was maintained between Word and Spirit that
the resulting experience of mystical piety would be acceptable to him.^166 Therefore,
Bavinck carefully delineates the difference between “true mysticism” and “general
mysticism”^167 between orthodox and pantheistic mysticism.^168 Further, he
acknowledges that there is a mysticism “of the Reformed church”^169 and once
described his father’s preaching as “healthy mysticism.”^170 Clearly Bavinck did not
reject all forms of mysticism and displays a more balanced perspective than Barth.
Practices and Contemplation
At first glance it appears that Bavinck shares a number of Barth’s fears
regarding spiritual practices and contemplation. More specifically Bavinck’s
objections are three-fold. First, he is critical that contemplation tended to “disparage
knowledge” and reduce “clarity of mind.”^171 Second, he frequently associates
contemplation with asceticism^172 and perceives asceticism as Pelagianism calling it
(^163) Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics (^) , 3:595.
(^164) See for example Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 3:593; 4:332, 395, 442, 457, 459;
Philosophy of Revelation, 241; Sacrifice of Praise, 38, 40; Our Reasonable Faith,
406165 - 7, 433, 514.
(^166) Ba Bavinck, vinck, Reformed DogmaticsOur Reasonable Faith, 1:467, 473 and 4:102; , 422-23, 511 and Reformed DogmaticsSacrifice of Praise, 1:585., 40. This^
was the case in the Nadere Reformatie. See Beeke, “Evangelicalism and Dutch
Further Reformation,” 161. 167
168 Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 3:529.^
169 Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:148.^
170 Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 2:191.^
171 Dosker, “Bavinck,” 450.^
172 Bavinck, Bavinck, Reformed DogmaticsReformed Dogmatics, 3:493; 4:239, 242., 1:149.^